


i steal a few breaths from the world for a minute

by shamusiel



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22137001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamusiel/pseuds/shamusiel
Summary: Not for the first time ( maybe it’s the hundredth, or maybe the thousandth ) does Raihan think:I want to marry him.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Leon/Raihan, Raihan/Leon
Comments: 30
Kudos: 543





	i steal a few breaths from the world for a minute

**Author's Note:**

> but when he walks in i am loved, i am loved.

Raihan always wakes up first.

As much of a ball of sunshine as Leon is, he’s not a morning person and Raihan knows this very well by now. If allowed, Leon could sleep all the way until noon; he looks so cute when he sleeps that Raihan almost lets him sometimes. It’s hard not to, but he’s got to make sure the now ex-Champion maintains healthy habits. Still, he’s kind enough to let Leon sleep while he gets up to brush his teeth, feed their Pokémon, shower, make a pot of coffee, and start breakfast.

It’s when the smell of food is wafting through Raihan’s home that he hears activity coming from the bedroom: the toilet in the master bathroom flushing, some loud muttering, the creak of the bedroom door opening. Food always rouses Leon from his slumber, his stomach is a bottomless pit, he’ll eat anything you put in front of him—it’s a good thing that Raihan is a decent cook, so Leon’s not eating slop.

“Breakfast?” Leon mumbles as he appears in the kitchen, blinking a few times, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Raihan beams at him. He only has a shirt on—Raihan’s shirt—that slips off of one shoulder. Must have picked it off of the floor before leaving the bedroom. There are still visible marks dotted along Leon’s neck, his shoulder, the exposed collarbone. His fluffy hair is a mess around his head, in need of a thorough combing, just like every morning.

“Yeah. Almost done,” Raihan replies. Leon pauses, then nods slowly. Gods, he looks too sweet in the mornings, Raihan has to stop himself from staring or just walking over to kiss him silly so he doesn’t burn the bacon. Leon saunters towards the table, taking a seat and immediately folding his arms on the surface and dropping his head onto them. A laugh bubbles up in Raihan’s throat.

When he finally approaches with two plates of food, he sets one in front of Leon and then ducks his head down to kiss Leon’s hair. “Come on, angel. It’s time to wake up.”

Leon grumbles softly, but lifts his head anyway, squinting up at Raihan. Raihan kisses him then, lasting a few moments, then ( reluctantly ) pulls back. But Leon is smiling now, a small and sleepy smile that makes Raihan’s heart skip.

They eat mostly in silence, Leon devouring everything on his plate in no time flat. Each time he tries to reach over to steal something from Raihan’s plate, Raihan lightly swats his hand away while snickering. “I’m bigger than you, I need to eat, too!”

“But I’m _hungry,_ ” Leon tries to whine.

“You just ate!”

Then Leon pulls the Yamper eyes. Damn it. He gives in, picking up a piece of bacon and reaching over. Leon doesn’t reach out to accept it, no—he leans forward and takes a bite of it as Raihan is holding it.

“What are you, a king now?” Raihan says, but he doesn’t pull his arm back.

“Not anymore,” Leon mumbles. His lips touch Raihan’s fingers as he takes the last bite, his tongue swiping out over the pad of his thumb; it makes Raihan shiver. “Am I acting like it?”

“You’re making me feed you by hand.”

“Does it bother you?”

“No.” Raihan shovels the last of his eggs into his mouth, empties his cup of coffee, and then stands. “Not at all.”

He scoops up Leon’s empty plate and mug so he can dump them in the sink for now, and when he returns to the living room he sees Leon standing in the middle of it, looking like he’s deep in thought, dark brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. For a man who seems so scatterbrained at times, he always seems to be thinking. There is definitely a lot for a man of his status to be thinking about, especially since his first loss in over ten years, especially since handing over his title of Galar’s Champion. Now he’s the head of the Battle Tower, now he’s working on his role as Chairman. It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of someone who’s barely twenty-two now.

“Hey,” Raihan murmurs, coming up behind him, slipping his hands around his waist. “Stop that.”

“Hm?” Leon blinks, turning his head to look up—way up—at him. “Stop what?”

“Thinking.” A kiss is pressed to his temple. Then he nuzzles into his hair. “It’s too early for that. Give yourself a break.”

Leon leans back against his chest, letting out a low hum. “It’s not that easy.”

“You can at least try.” Raihan’s hands are slipping further down so he can snake them up the oversized shirt Leon wears, to rub into his hips, trace along the curve of his waist. Leon takes a shuddering breath.

“If you have any ideas for distractions, I’m all ears.”

It makes Raihan grin, knife-sharp. “I mean, I have a few.”

Effortlessly he’s scooping Leon off of the floor, an arm around his back and another beneath his legs. Leon laughs, which is then swallowed up by a kiss that tastes a bit like bacon and coffee. Raihan practically trips on his way back to the bedroom, too caught up in kissing Leon to actually watch where he’s going. Once they reach the bedroom, he slams the door shut with his foot.

—

“Now I don’t want to get up at all,” Leon mumbles into the pillow as Raihan runs his fingers through his long hair, tugging loose any tangles he finds. Raihan just chuckles, rubbing his hand over Leon’s bare back, leaning over to press a kiss between his shoulder blades. He nuzzles into his skin, detecting the smell of soap from his shower the night prior mixed with the faint scent of sweat from their… recent activities.

“I’m not gonna let you stay in bed all day,” Raihan says, wiggling his fingers into Leon’s ribs and making him squirm. “Don’t use your Yamper eyes on me again, I won’t fall for it this time.”

Leon turns his head, giving Raihan a pointed look, then he’s moving onto his side and wiggling closer to Raihan who happily hugs him close to his chest. Raihan feels Leon press a kiss to one of the marks he left behind. An arm curls around Raihan’s middle and Leon then lifts his chin, Raihan meeting him halfway for another kiss that lasts for a few long moments, slow and soft. They break apart, and Leon remains looking at him.

The morning sunshine—as golden as Leon’s eyes—that filters in through the windows makes Leon looks like he’s glowing, his eyes glimmering, brown skin tinted red on his cheeks, on his shoulders. A light dusting of freckles on his nose, hardly visible unless you were as close as Raihan is. And his wild mane of hair, soft and shiny, made a mess of by Raihan’s hands.

Not for the first time ( maybe it’s the hundredth, or maybe the thousandth ) does Raihan think: _I want to marry him._

In fact, the first time he ever had that thought, probably a year into their relationship, he stopped at the best jewelry shop in Hammerlocke and picked out a matching pair of rings. Engagement rings. They were expensive, but he had plenty of money saved up to spare. Nothing too extravagant, golden bands with a diamond embedded in each. The real wedding rings could be more fancy—assuming Leon says yes. Assuming Raihan gets the courage to ask.

Leon is a busy man, Champion or not. Would marriage really be something he'd want now, in this stage of his life? He's still young, just turned twenty-two not too long ago, and he's already got more responsibilities than most people his age. Raihan doesn't want to add onto that but he… wants to ask, at least just to see.

It has to be perfect though. The right time, the right place. Not right now while they're lying naked post-morning sex in their bed. That definitely isn't romantic. Okay, he can figure something out. He's _good_ at planning things, he—

"Raihan?" It snaps Raihan out of his thoughts immediately. Leon is looking up at him still, his brow furrowed in obvious confusion. "Are you okay?"

"Did I zone out?" Raihan mutters.

"For a minute there, yeah."

Leon grins up at him. Raihan wants to kiss it right off his pretty face. " _Now_ who's thinking too much?"

"Hmm." Long fingers tap Leon's hip thoughtfully. "Maybe I was just too enraptured by the positively handsome man in my arms?" Leon's eyes widen a bit; he knows where this is going. "Sexy, beautiful, talented, smart—"

"Raihan!" Leon covers Raihan's mouth with his hand. Raihan licks it, making Leon yank his hand away and crinkle his nose.

"Funny, kind, lovely, _clueless_ —"

"Hey!" All Leon can do to shut him up now is kiss him, which was exactly what Raihan was aiming for.

After a minute of kissing again, with Leon holding Raihan's face and Raihan with a hand on Leon's waist, an idea strikes him then. He pulls back from the kiss and Leon gives an irritated little sound. Those golden eyes narrow until he sees Raihan's wide grin. The leader reaches up to swipe his thumb over Leon's bottom lip.

"You have nothing going on today, right?" Raihan asks, hopeful.

"I shouldn't," Leon responds. "I'll check my schedule. Why?"

"I want… to take you out today," he says slowly, but not nervously or with any ounce of uncertainty. He strokes Leon's waist and Leon hums.

Leon is rolling away from Raihan back to his side of the bed, looking over to where his Rotom phone is charging up. Raihan takes the time to admire how the muscle in his shoulders and back shift beneath the skin as he moves. "Rotom, do I have anything on my schedule today?"

A pause, a soft beeping and whirring sound, and then, "Nothing today, zzt!"

"Thanks," Leon yawns, then rolls back to face Raihan. "Okay, where to?"

"We'll figure that out as we go along."

And they get lost in kissing one another again, barely managing to pry themselves away from each other.

—

Wyndon is undoubtedly one of the best places to go for a day out. The biggest city, with endless amounts of things to do. Leon has a nice flat here that he rarely ever uses nowadays in favor of staying in Hammerlocke with Raihan, but he still has to stare intensely at the town map to figure out what's going on.

Raihan lets Leon lead for a while, their first destination being a nice little café near the stadium. Their hands are joined, Leon's other hand around his phone with the maps function pulled up so he can keep looking at it.

"Babe, you can let me lead—"

"I know where I'm going," Leon insists.

He doesn't. At least they end up in their destination eventually after… an hour of walking. When it should have taken only ten minutes. Leon is hopeless sometimes, but it can be a little endearing. After all these years he still can hardly retain any information that isn't about battling or Pokémon or… Raihan. He knows and remembers everything about Raihan that he's been told, right down to the small birthmark on his hip that he always kisses.

They enter the café. The tiny velvet box in his coat pocket feels like a dead weight. Raihan tugs his scarf up to his nose. _Not yet._

A few people approach them for autographs and quick photos which they gladly agree to, writing practiced signatures and giving bright smiles. Even now people still love Leon, seeing him as some sort of icon, someone to look up to. Champion or not, the region adores him and Raihan can't blame them whatsoever. Sometimes, there is that slight pang of envy, there always is, but be doesn't resent him, could never resent him because he loves him more than anything else.

Leon bumps his foot against Raihan's leg beneath the table as he squints at the menu. Raihan bumps back, making Leon snicker and glance at him over the top of the menu. It earns Leon a sharp grin, then Raihan reaches out to hook his index finger over the top of the menu and push it down so he can pinch Leon's nose, like Leon always does to him.

"I'll pay today," Raihan says. "All day."

"But—"

"Let me treat you for once, doll. It'll be fine."

The pet name seems to make Leon melt a little. Has he used that one before? He can't remember, but he always likes seeing Leon's reactions to the things he calls him. _Angel, gorgeous, love, sweetheart, beautiful, babe._ Whether he's breathing praises against his skin, teasing him, or just in casual settings like this, it always makes Leon's eyes soften and his smile widen.

Leon doesn't do it himself, usually, but he likes calling him _Rai,_ occasionally _darling._ And he'd be lying if he said it didn't make his skin feel warm and his heart flutter.

"Just today," Leon says.

"I know you've got plenty of cash to spare, but so do I." Raihan releases his nose to tug on one soft cheek. "Relax."

_I just want to make today good for you._

—

"Does this color look good on me?" Leon asks, lifting up a long, red infinity scarf.

"Weird you're asking," Raihan can't help but tease. "I was always under the impression you picked your clothes blind. Didn't think you actually cared how they looked."

"I think I'm great at picking my own outfits."

"Uh-huh."

" _Raihan._ " Leon lightly smacks Raihan over the head with the scarf, which makes Raihan laugh. "I'm serious."

"Okay, okay." He lifts his head up and watches Leon adjust the scarf around the neck. Raihan pauses, thinking, contemplating. Then, "I think the white one might look better."

So Leon tries the white one and Raihan really thinks he understands what they are saying when they talk about _a vision in white._ It makes the color of his hair and skin pop. How is Leon this damn handsome? If he didn't love him so much it'd be infuriating. He strolls over and fixes the scarf, tucking Leon's hair back over his shoulders.

"This one's good. Do _you_ like it?" Raihan asks.

"Yeah," Leon says. He peeks up at Raihan through his lashes with a sly grin. Then he reaches up and tugs at Raihan's own scarf, some designer one he got a few years back. "I think it's a lot more practical than yours."

Raihan rolls his eyes. "It's called fashion. I know you've never heard of it."

"Don't be an arse," Leon snorts, but his grin doesn't fade. "Come on, let's buy this."

—

They stop soon at a small, cozy bookstore that Leon spends what feels like an eternity in. Raihan knows he's a huge reader, knows his shelves back at his childhood home are full of books, though his shelves at his place in Wyndon are criminally bare.

After a while, Leon reappears from one of the rows with three books in his hands. A graphic novel, a book about the history of Pokémon battling, and some undoubtedly cheesy intrigue novel.

Raihan notices for the hundredth time that, even when someone offers to pay for everything, Leon never wants a lot. A scarf and three books and that's it. He didn't even peruse the hat section of the boutique, but he did briefly reach up to touch the brim of the cap he is currently wearing as if considering it. As dramatic and extravagant he could be, he seems to enjoy living simply and not having too many things.

 _Just being with you is enough,_ Leon had told him. The memory makes his heart skip a beat.

Raihan, in the middle of the bookstore, pulls Leon's cap off and kisses the top of his head. Leon swats at him with a little laugh.

—

At night, during this time of year around the holidays, Wyndon is alight with multicolored lights, the sound of music from shops and stalls, the distant sounds from the stadium. The colors illuminate Leon's face, paint him in red and green; Raihan keeps staring even though he _should_ be watching where he's going. They are comfortably stuffed from dinner from a little hole-in-the wall curry place in a quieter part of the city, and now Leon just wants to wander, which Raihan is happy to do so long as he can lead. No need to get lost again this time of night.

They pass the Pokémon Center and towards the large, ornate fountain. A few people linger around it, tossing in coins or taking photos. The water looks so blue, crystal clear against the white stone, glittering in the lights. A few street performers have gathered, and Leon makes his way to sit on the stairs leading up to the fountain to watch, bag in his lap. Here, no one pays them any mind. No one asks for any photos, just allowing them to sit in peace and watch a man play his keyboard, a Minccino singing along at his feet.

It's nice. Relaxed and content. Raihan keeps throwing glances at Leon to see if he's okay, to make sure he isn't bored.

Under the street lights, the shine of the moon, Leon looks like he's glowing with the stars in his eyes and a grin brighter than the sun, brighter than anything Raihan has ever seen before. Leon _is_ the sun, isn't he? Brilliant and bright and warm, projecting his rays outward to be felt by everyone around him. And Raihan is so painfully, irrevocably in love with him.

When Leon looks at him again, his grin still splitting his face, pressing dimples into his cheeks and crinkling the skin at the corners of his eyes, it comes out without Raihan meaning for it to.

"Marry me."

Mouth clamps shut immediately, jaw working, heat creeping up his neck and to his cheeks, to his ears. Definitely not what he was planning. He wanted to do the whole get-down-on-one-knee thing, wanted to wait until they were away from prying eyes, but evidently his brain had other ideas. And he usually prides himself in being an expert in planning things!

But with Leon, everything is a surprise.

Leon's eyes are wide, his grin having faded, his lips parted in shock. Raihan's brain is scrambling for a way to gracefully fix this, but he thinks he's probably mucked it up proper already.

"What—?" Leon's voice is soft, disbelieving.

Raihan swallows. Might as well keep going.

"Do you want to, I mean." Raihan pauses. "Do you want to marry me."

He fishes the tiny box out of his coat pocket and cracks it open with fingers he's just now realizing are trembling. Leon tracks the movement of his hands, then glances back up at his face which… looks so pink, but he can't figure out if it's from a blush or from the cold.

" _Will_ you marry me?" Raihan tries. He doesn't like the silence from Leon even though this must come as a shock. There is fear there that Leon might feel pressured being asked among so many people, even though no one has been paying close attention to them right now and Raihan hasn't made it some huge spectacle. "Sorry, I wanted to do it, um, when we got home. Should I try again la—"

Leon is yanking him down by the front of his coat and covering his mouth with his own without warning. Raihan almost drops the box with the rings on the ground out of complete surprise. He manages to save it, then uses his other hand to take hold of Leon's waist. When he kisses back, he tastes salt.

Oh, Leon is crying.

"Ah— are you okay? Leon?" He breaks away from the kiss. Hot, fat globules are running down Leon's cheeks from his wide, wet eyes. Now, his little sniffles and hiccups seem to be attracting some attention, but most people are polite enough not to make it obvious they're staring. Raihan strokes one wet cheek. "Too much? Did I overwhelm you?"

"No," Leon practically wheezes before giving a watery laugh. "No! It's fine. I just…" He starts laughing again. "It's so funny, I was planning to ask _you_ soon. I just hadn't found rings yet."

What? What? What?

Leon was planning on proposing to _him_ too? They both really did want the same thing? Has Raihan really been putting off what may have been the inevitable just because of his own doubts and insecurities?

"So that means…?" Raihan begins, then trails off.

"It means," Leon breathes, "that yes, I want to marry you. I will marry you. Why wouldn't I?"

It takes a moment to process, before Raihan's face is breaking out into a giant sharp-fanged grin. Tears prick at his own eyes and he shuffles closer again, carefully scooping up Leon's left hand and taking one of the rings out of the box. They both sit there, silent, as Raihan slips the ring onto Leon's ring finger. A perfect fit. Then he offers the box to Leon, who takes it and pulls out the second ring to slip it carefully onto Raihan's finger.

"I love you," Raihan blurts out, but he's hardly embarrassed about it. But now _he's_ crying, which he's _definitely_ embarrassed about, but the tears won't stop coming. He uses his sleeve to wipe at his face, but his efforts are futile. Leon laughs at him again, but when Raihan looks at him through wet eyes he sees that he's started crying again.

They kiss once, clumsily like they're schoolboys trying their first kiss together, wet from their tears, giggling into each other's mouths. Raihan clutches Leon close to him and Leon wraps his arms around Raihan's back, sliding his hands up to rub his shoulder blades.

When they break apart again all Leon can say is, "I love you, too."

—

When they get back to the castle in Hammerlocke way late that night, Raihan snaps a picture of their hands sporting those golden bands. He posts it with no caption but a ring emoji while tagging Leon's ( mostly unused ) account.

They both ignore their phones blowing up barely a minute later, too focused on each other to care, kissing and touching wherever they can and breathing out soft _I love you_ 's into one another's skin.

Dealing with the response from their friends and family and the response from the public can wait until later.

**Author's Note:**

> oh mitski, we're really in it now
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/zhamusiel)   
>  [tumblr](http://hellfirecitadel.tumblr.com)


End file.
